Pupils across the region are well on course to succeed in their future education following today's publication of classroom test results for 14-year-olds.

Pupils across the region are well on course to succeed in their future education following today's publication of classroom test results for 14-year-olds.

Today's Key Stage 3 results are seen as a major indicator of how pupils are faring to date in their secondary schooling, while also setting down markers for their vital GCSE exams in two years' time.

Among individual schools deserving special praise is King Edward's Camp Hill Boys in Kings Heath, which features in two top ten "best of" tables.

The foundation school is eighth best in the whole of England for basic results, but does even better at third place for a value added table measuring the progress which pupils make between the ages of 11 and 14.

But local authorities across the West Midlands region were reflecting on a job well done with pupils achieving improved results in last year's classroom tests in English, maths and science.

Leading the praise was Birmingham's cabinet member for education and lifelong learning, Coun Les Lawrence.

He said: "I am pleased that we are continuing to make progress at Key Stage 3 where Birmingham is reflecting the national trends.

"I am delighted that our Key Stage 3 performance is above the average for comparable urban cities and authorities."

He added: "I would like to congratulate all the young people, their teachers and families for achieving these results and wish them well with their GCSE and Key Stage 4 studies.

"However we recognise that there is more progress to be made at this level and we are currently targeting Key Stage 3 pupils in our latest campaign - Making the Grade: It's gr8-2b-ks3!"